Senior Commercial Manager

Position : Senior Commercial & Contracts Manager/Director, MDev Level : Senior / Director Reporting to : Development Director Mobility : Georgia market; CIS region exposure advantageous Role Summary / Purpose Lead and own the commercial and contractual delivery of the development programme — running the procurement of consultants and contractors from sourcing strategy through tender, evaluation and award, and administering the resulting FIDIC-based contracts through to final account. The role secures best value at the point of commitment, maintains cost certainty across the project lifecycle, manages variations, claims and disputes to protect the organisation’s position, and ensures every commitment remains aligned to the development strategy, budget and authority matrix for the Georgia portfolio. Key Responsibilities & Deliverables Generic Accountabilities Strategy Implementation & Contribution: Translate the development and procurement strategy into commercially sound commitments, ensuring alignment to the divisional strategy and the organisation’s vision, mission and corporate objectives. Cascade commercial and contractual discipline across the programme so day-to-day procurement and contract administration stay true to agreed goals. People Management: Establish the roles and responsibilities of the commercial, contracts and procurement team members drawn from the resource pool. Lead, guide and develop the team — providing direction, training and growth opportunities — to maximise performance and prepare members for higher-level roles. Cost & Commercial Performance: Own the cost plan and procurement budget across the programme, then monitor commitments and expenditure against them so that anticipated costs, areas of overrun, contingency drawdown, and opportunities for saving or value engineering are visible and acted upon. Policies, Systems, Processes & Procedures: Create, oversee and guide the implementation of relevant procurement and contract-management policies, systems, processes, procedures and controls across the programme, ensuring governance, the delegation of authority and the authority matrix are observed throughout. Reporting: Compile periodic commercial reports — procurement status, contract commitments, cost-to-complete, variations and claims — and submit them, accurately and on time, to the relevant parties, including the Development Director, Risk Management and the project / JV board as delegated. Job-Specific Accountabilities Procurement Strategy & Sourcing: Develop the procurement strategy for each work package — consultants, contractors and key suppliers — and define the appropriate contracting and delivery routes. Lead market sourcing and supply-chain intelligence, building and qualifying a competitive pool of consultants and contractors. Lead and participate in the preparation of all RFPs, pre-qualification questionnaires and tender documentation, ensuring scope, terms and risk allocation are correctly framed before going to market. Tendering, Evaluation & Award: Run competitive tender processes end-to-end — issue, clarification, bid review and commercial levelling — and lead the negotiation of fee, rate, scope and contractual terms to secure best value at the point of commitment. Prepare evaluation reports and award recommendations for review and approval through to EXCOM and board level, ensuring each award is aligned to budget, the procurement strategy and the authority matrix. Contract Administration & Commercial Management: Administer all consultant and contractor agreements on a FIDIC (or equivalent) basis through to final account, acting as the commercial focal point for the programme. Establish and maintain the cost plan, commitment ledger and cash-flow forecast for each contract, and report cost-to-complete against the approved budget. Manage the certification and payment cycle — applications, valuations, interim and final certificates — in coordination with the appointed Cost Management consultant. Administer the change-control process, assessing variations and instructions against the limits set out in the authority / RASCI matrix and securing the necessary approvals. Maintain contractual correspondence, notices and records to protect the organisation’s position and preserve entitlement throughout the contract. Manage the appointed Quantity Surveying and Cost Management consultant, drawing on technical and commercial support as needed. Monitor contractor and consultant performance against contractual obligations, milestones and KPIs, and act on under-performance. Establish commercial milestone dates, key decision points and the contracting approach in consultation with the Development Director and function leads, and secure approval. Oversee close-out, final account settlement and the release of retention / securities in line with the contract. Variations, Claims & Dispute Avoidance: Assess, negotiate and settle variations, extensions of time and loss-and-expense claims, protecting cost and programme certainty. Lead the early identification and resolution of contractual disputes, pursuing dispute avoidance and amicable settlement ahead of formal proceedings. Coordinate with Legal on the contractual position, notices and any escalation to adjudication, DAB / DAAB or arbitration as provided for under the contract. Cross-Functional Coordination: Work with the Development Director and project-management consultant to align commercial commitments with programme and design development. Coordinate with Finance on commitments, cash flow, payment and forecasting. Work with Legal to ensure all contractual and commercial risks are identified, allocated and covered. Support the development team with procurement and commercial input to feasibility, business plans and value engineering. Participate in all key project and commercial meetings and escalate issues as they arise. Continuous Improvement: Research and apply up-to-date practices in procurement, contract administration and commercial management, keeping the function aligned with industry best practice and continuously improving commercial reporting and outcomes. Remain versed in evolving technologies such as AI applications across the procurement and commercial functions, specific to sourcing, estimating and contract administration, demonstrably and ably. Performance Metrics / Success Criteria Procurement delivered against the tender programme Commitments maintained within the approved budget Best value achieved at award vs. estimate / benchmark Consultant / contractor compliance with contractual obligations Cost overrun as % of approved contract value Value of variations as % of original contract value Value of contractor-initiated claims settled / avoided Final accounts settled within target timeframe Qualifications & Skills: Education Degree in Quantity Surveying, Commercial Management, Engineering or a related discipline Chartered status is essential; Membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) — Quantity Surveying pathway — strongly preferred Sound commercial, contractual and financial grounding is essential Skills & Technical FIDIC contract administration and procurement strategy Tendering, bid evaluation and cost planning Claims and dispute management Commercial acumen and strong negotiation capability 100% fluent in English — speaking, communicating, reading and writing Knowledge of the Georgian and CIS market is an advantage Experience 15–20 years of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities of the role, including the procurement and commercial management of FIDIC-based consultant and contractor agreements across hospitality, branded residences and infrastructure Demonstrable experience leading both the procurement function and the commercial administration of large-scale developments in excess of USD 250 million A skilled negotiator with deep knowledge of sourcing, supply-chain management and end-to-end contract administration Typical profiles: a chartered quantity surveyor or senior commercial manager progressing to commercial leadership after delivering comparable projects; or a commercial / contracts director with significant large-project experience Demonstrable success and performance achievements in comparable developments of comparable values and complexity is critical MUST HAVE: Must have worked for a property developer, preferably within the developer’s development team, for not fewer than five years Working Conditions & Expectations Based in Georgia; candidates not currently resident must commit to frequent, sustained travel to Georgia Site visits, commercial meetings, and contractor/consultant engagement across all project phases Periodic work under tight schedules, particularly around tender deadlines, award milestones and final account closure Cross-functional collaboration with Development, Finance, Legal and the appointed Cost Management consultant